


Breathless

by LizAnn_5869



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-20
Updated: 2015-04-20
Packaged: 2018-03-25 00:03:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,036
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3789208
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LizAnn_5869/pseuds/LizAnn_5869
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The war was won, the last skirmishes quelled. So it was a horrible shock when a poison dart struck down Rose Tyler.<br/> <br/>Her medical crisis has the Doctor rethinking the boundaries of their relationship.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Breathless

The war was won, the last skirmish quelled, and for once, the monarchy was not the evil party but the rebels attempting to overthrow the government. The green humanoids of the small planet of Abrindelle in the 23 century would record their history books how the stranger in the blue box and his beautiful companion saved the crown prince with the help of one of his soldiers.

So really, it was a horrible shock when the poison dart struck Rose Tyler in the shoulder as she, the Doctor and the brave soldier Brandt were dashing back to the TARDIS for the medical equipment Brandt's wife Ashyra needed at the hospital.

Rose dropped to the ground almost immediately and cried out. "Rose..."the Doctor gasped as he turned back to her lying on the chartreuse grass. She was clutching her shoulder and breathing heavily, obviously in pain. 

"My legs are numb," she panted out as the Doctor's hands gently turned her on her side, where he saw the dart. He went pale, freckles standing out in sharp relief. Rose found herself staring at the freckles, thinking about how she so loved them, and why she was thinking about that when the numbness was crawling its way up her body.

"TARDIS?" Brandt asked, moving to help pick up Rose.

"We don't have time. Closer to the hospital," he bit out as he scooped her up. 

"Doctor," Rose sighed. "What's...oh, hard to breathe."

"Stay with me. You stay with me, Rose Tyler, I mean it," he ordered as her eyes drifted closed. still breathing, though, he saw as he began running back up the path he and Brandt just traversed. "I don't know what the poison is yet- have my suspicions, and if I'm right she'll need a ventilator within the next fifteen minutes. It's paralyzing her." He thanked all those Gods he didn't believe in that they hadn't gone far from the hospital. Brandt was already on his communicator to Ashyra. 

"Incoming, Shy....Rose Tyler, needs a ventilator, be there soon,"Brandt said tersely . 

"Oh! I'm on it," a female voice answered back. Ashyra was the head nurse of the small hospital in the best of times. In the worst, with many of the main physicians either dead in the fighting or in hiding, she found herself the head doctor as well. 

The door was within sight and Rose was starting to gasp in his arms. His suspicions were proving to be correct. Brandt got to the door first and threw it open. Ashyra and two nurses met him in the hall with a gurney as the Doctor carried Rose in. 

She was placed on the gurney and immediately the nurse placed a mask over her nose and mouth and began squeezing air into Rose's lungs- she had stopped breathing. 

After that it was blur. The Doctor followed Ashyra and the other nurses to a small room- orders were shouted, monitors and IVs hooked up, and right before she was intubated the Doctor quickly kissed her mouth and whispered, "And that is another kiss that doesn't count as our first."  
***************  
And that was how the Doctor found himself sitting by her bedside as a machine breathed for her light years and centuries away from her home and mother. And he wondered exactly how he would explain that to Jackie, because the antidote to the black gravinious leaf poison, a close rival to the Judas Tree poison in his estimation, was taking its time working. The poison was called the Black Grave for a reason. Ashyra had another dose on standby. 

"Oh, Rose Tyler," he sighed. He took her hand, weaving their fingers together as they did. He caressed her arm. "I think I didn't keep my promise. I said I'd keep you safe." There was no safety in this life. There were constant close calls, those bits in between. She deserved better. 

He loved her. There, he could not suppress or unthink that thought. He had tried for so long to keep those walls erected and he was just tired of holding them up. He was torn between wanting to take her home for her own safety and letting her know his feelings. Either way she'd be gone eventually. She wouldn't respond to the antidote and die, or she'd go home to her mother or they would finally give in to how they felt. He would be devastated in any case. "I should take you home. I should take you home......but I won't. I know you, you'd just find your way back. You are just that persistent. You've already done it once. And really, your persistence now amazes me. You survived this. You're not out of the woods but I've seen this poison take down grown men in minutes and...."  
He took a deep breath. All at once his decision was made. It would be unbearable to continue on for centuries without telling her, without her knowing how he felt. He was the last of the the Time Lords. He could make the rules. So he took a leap of faith. 

"Come on Rose. Come back to me now. Fight this and I promise you- and I'll keep this one- it will be worth it. No more waiting. I love you. There, I said it, to you with your eyes closed, while you are unconscious , so what does that say for me. At least I said it so I guess the next step is for me to say it when you're conscious. And. Well. I've kissed you, but once again you don't know that, either. Fight this, Rose, and we'll have a first real kiss. And the next time I decide to take you to a gorgeous planet to kiss you by a beautiful waterfall I will check more closely and not take you during a time of social and political unrest. I did not intend you to go down as a freedom fighter light years from Earth. I had planned a lovely picnic. Yes, I would have kissed you then, so know that this isn't a product of you being sick........" His ramble tapered off and he kissed her hand. "Come back to me, Rose. Please." And then he began whispering to her Gallifreyan. Reaching out to her mind, sending words of love. He felt a brush against his own mind and his hearts sped up. "I'm here, Rose Tyler. Waiting for you," the Doctor murmured.

Ashyra found him, resting his head on the bed, fifteen minutes later. "I have good news, Doctor. The monitors are indicating improvement. She will still need the ventilator for a while yet. But there's no doubt in my mind that she'll be off of it within the day. Did you give her some encouragement? Hope you gave her something to look forward to."

"Welllll...I...anyway, once she's off of it I'll materialize the TARDIS in here and transfer her to the infirmary there. Now that she's stabilizing. "

Ashyra smiled. "I wonder if you could make some sense of these readings , though. In the last hour we've noticed a quantum leap in her healing, fast even with the antidote. She was crashing fast when she arrived, and you and both know..." The Doctor took the tablet from her and scanned the readouts. He had suspected, but wasn't sure. ~I create myself~ he heard in the back of his mind. 

"I think she is amazing," was all the Doctor could offer. 

Ashyra raised an eyebrow. "Well. Look for her to improve greatly within the next few hours. You'll have your Rose back." She patted his shoulder. "Thank you for all your help. ". She was gone before he could answer. 

"You'll have something to look forward to," he whispered.

 

It was another two hours before she began fighting the ventilator. The Doctor was there as it was removed and he kissed her lips softly, whispering, "Still not a proper kiss but we'll fix that soon enough." He didn't have to tell Jackie that a machine was breathing for her and for that he was grateful. 

She became restless soon after and the Doctor knew she was fighting her way up from the depths. There were snatches of words but nothing really intelligible until her eyes opened wide and locked with his and she said, "Love you," breathlessly. She drifted back off again while the Doctor willed his hearts to slow down. He kissed her hand, then her lips lightly. Then he sat back down next to her and continued waiting.  
**********

 

Some time later he awoke with a start, feeling fingers softy stroking his hair. He sat up and looked into warm brown eyes. "Hello," she said softly, voice hoarse from the breathing tube.

"Hello," he said, voice also rough. He kissed her hand. "How are you feeling?"

She cleared her throat painfully and rasped, "Like something died in my mouth. And my throat really hurts."

There was a small pitcher on the table at the end of the bed, so the Doctor poured her some water and put a straw in the cup as he said, "You...you were very sick. You had a breathing tube for a while and that's what is making your throat hurt. Here, this might help." He operated the controls to raise the head of the bed and held the cup as she drank slowly. "You're in Ashyra's hospital. We didn't have time to get back to the TARDIS. Better?"

"Lots better," she smiled. He already had his sonic out and was activating it , waving it like an ultrasound wand over her body. "Guess you'll be the judge of that?" she whispered with a smirk.

"I have to check, you know. You've metabolized the poison with the help of the antidote, so now you're in the get - your - strength- back phase." He smiled "You're brilliant, you know that. You fought off something I've seen kill grown men. Do you remember anything?"

"I remember the sting. And my legs givin' out. That's about it for when it happened. But.....I could hear you. Maybe not all the words but when I couldn't hear you I felt you in my head. You were always there." Her voice was shaking with emotion at the end. The Doctor put down one bed rail and sat on the bed with her. He faced her and leaned down, resting his forehead on Rose's, hands framing her face. 

"Yes, " he whispered, giving her a soft kiss and he was elated to feel her return the pressure against his lips. After a bit of time he broke the kiss, sighing, "I'm counting that one. You need to rest- really rest. And then I'm materializing the TARDIS in here. You'll feel better in your own bed. Do you need anything?" Rose began to sit up, attempting to scoot away from him. "What are you doing?"

"I need your arms around me," Rose said. "That's what I need." She pulled weakly on his jacket lapel. He toed his chucks off and stretched out on his side next to her, mindful of the IV tubes still attached to her arm. He wrapped his arm around her waist. 

"This isn't going to be very comfortable for you, " he whispered. 

"It's fine," she answered. She snuggled into his chest and he felt like he could burst in a shower of confetti. "You know, was hopin' I'd be in something a tad more alluring than a hospital gown when I finally got you in bed, Doctor." Her eyes were already half closed.

"You make it look lovely," the Doctor said with a grin. "You make anything look lovely."

"Are you sure I'm not dyin' still, cause that was a really corny complement."

"Oi! For one thing, don't joke about that and for another, you do make anything look lovely. Even nylon dinner lady outfits." Her eyes were closed all the way but she still snorted laughter. "I mean it. The time between the first bell and fourth period was a very long time for John Smith to have to wait until his lunch break. And it wasn't because I was waiting for the Krillitane oil chips they served. You were the hot dinner lady, Rose Tyler. And my whole third period class knew I fancied you."

She giggled softly and snuggled in closer. He kissed the top of her head and she melted into him. And that was how Ashyra found them, fifteen minutes later when she checked in. She did a quick scan of Rose's vials, smiled at the Doctor and made her way back out as quietly as she had come in.  
*************

The Doctor's Time Sense told him that about two hours had passed since he lay down next to Rose and superior Time Lord physiology or not, muscles were starting to cramp up a bit so he sat up slowly. As he did, Ashyra appeared at the door again, this time with her husband Brandt.

"We found the sniper, Doctor, and he's in with the rest of the rebels," he said.

"We can't guarantee all of them are incarcerated, though," the Doctor said in a low voice. "But I can't stay. I want to get Rose out of here. "

"I think you should, as soon as you can, before the Prince returns. He's one for ceremony, and I don't think you and Rose need that. But thank you both. Without your help I don't know how this would have transpired. I'm sorry your Rose was injured," Brandt said, and that amounted to a huge speech for the shy soldier. 

"I appreciate the warning. We're not up to ceremony, and I try to evade that whenever possible anyway," the Doctor replied. "I think Rose will be up to going soon. I want to get her home."

Ashyra spoke up, "She'll be ready in a few hours, I think. We will miss you. "

"Likewise," the Doctor said. "I've always managed to find the best to help me out in a fix. I'm glad we found you two." They smiled. 

"So am I," Rose's voice, still raspy but stronger, came from behind him. "Thanks."

"I was hoping you'd get some more rest," the Doctor admonished. 

"Not with you lot jabberin'. And you got up." She looked so much better. Her color was back. The Doctor's heats sped up a bit at the thought of finally moving forward, together. 

"Think we have room to land a TARDIS in here?" The Doctor said, smiling widely.

********

 

Rose sat on the edge of the hospital bed, fighting a wave of dizziness. "Rose, all right there?" Ashyra asked. She was helping Rose change into the comfortable pajamas the Doctor had fetched from the TARDIS. He was doing a bit of maintenance, checking for damage. Then he planned to materialize the TARDIS in a room down the hall because even though he had double and triple checked the coordinates he had decided he would rather not run the risk of materializing her on top of Rose. 

"Just a little dizzy, that's all." She inspected the jimjams her Time Lord had provided- (the t shirt and shorts printed with snoozing sheep). 

"That will pass," Ashyra assured her. "You've been lying down for quite a while."

"So are you back to nursing, Shy?" Rose asked as she removed the gown behind the privacy curtain and pulled on her t-shirt.

"Finally, yes. The head physicians - the ones that survived- are back. I'm glad to be head nurse again," she smiled.

"You should be a doctor," Rose said. "You might need to remind them who exactly ran this place in the crisis."

Ashyra snickered. "I've already had to. So back to time and space for you?"

Rose was unsure how to answer that. "Yes...I hope....he said he was taking me home when he was talking to you, but when I was out of it I think he said he wouldn't. I don't know."

"Oh, Rose, I just know he didn't mean go home in that way. I asked him if you had something to look forward to and he didn't answer directly-"

Rose snorted. "He wouldn't."

"But I got the distinct impression....anyway, talk to him."

"If I can get him not to deflect and redirect...." She cut off when they heard the distant wheezing sound of a TARDIS materializing down the hall. When it wasn't followed up by crashing or screams she knew he'd been accurate in landing. She grinned. Home to London or not she was looking forward to those coral walls and the reassuring hum of his time ship. She could already sense it, and it sounded...relieved. The TARDIS was anticipating her return as well. She stood up and then immediately sat back down as another wave of dizziness hit.

"Slow down there, Rose," Ashyra said with a small laugh as the Doctor burst into the room, a thousand watt smile on his face. 

"Is my prize behind curtain number one?" He joked as Rose put the sleep shorts on as quickly as she could without falling over. 

"Oh, I'm a prize now," she said, opening the curtain.

"Yes, in snoozing sheep sleep shorts," he said, mentally congratulating himself on the excellent alliteration. "You're not exactly steady on your feet, though."

She was standing but clutching the bed rail, knuckles white. "No wheelchair," Rose warned, pointing at the Doctor.

"Wouldn't think of it." He scooped her into his arms and she gave out a little shriek, then laughed.

"Are you serious?" she giggled.

"Your chariot awaits, Dame Rose. Think of it, you're leaving in exactly the same way you came in. I like taking you out of here better." They locked eyes and Ashyra suddenly felt like she was invading their privacy. He kissed Rose quickly and started to head for the door. "Tell Brandt goodbye for us"," he called back to Ashyra. 

"Thank you again," Rose added.

"Safe travels, " Ashyra said.

And then he toted his precious cargo to the room where an anxious time and space ship awaited them.

*********

"Set me down, you loon!" Rose was laughing as they crossed the threshold of the TARDIS. His ship's hum became a bit louder and the time rotor glowed a bit brighter upon the return of her Thief and his Lady. 

"Are you wobbly?" the Doctor asked. 

"You'll catch me," she said.

"You know it," he smiled as he gently set her down. She grabbed his arm for balance but immediately realized she wasn't dizzy any longer. She felt exhausted but she would stay upright. "Sit on the jumpseat a minute?" He walked her over and she sat down gratefully. 

The Doctor bounded over to the console, his puppy-like energy returned with the relief over Rose's recovery. He hit some buttons, and flipped the lever, and the dematerialing sequence began. He turned to face Rose, smile fading as he saw the anxious expression on his face. He sat down by her and took her hands in his. "Rose?" 

"Where are we going?" She asked.

"The Vortex. You need some recovery time. And, well....l.."

"Not London?"

It hadn't occurred to him until that moment that she might want to go home, of course she did. She had been terribly ill. Nearly died. She needed her Mum. He didn't want to think that perhaps..this life wasn't worth it to her anymore, maybe one near death experience was enough. "Are...are you wanting to go there?" he said, hesitantly. 

"Eventually, I'll want to see Mum, yes." The Doctor's eyes were downcast. "To visit. Are you planning to take me home for good? In some misguided attempt to keep me safe and make my decisions for me?" Okay, now she sounded angry with him and he was confused.

"Rose Tyler, I don't think we're having the same conversation," he said. "How much of what I said before did you hear? Did you blank out on the 'I should send you home but I'm not' part? Did you miss the 'I love you?'"

Tears were sparkling in her eyes. "No, I caught that," she said, voice rough with emotion. 

"Well good. That's more than I could have hoped for, since I thought you were unconscious at the time. Glad that came through." He caressed her face and rested his forehead against hers. "Have you been noticing the kisses? I mean, really, Rose Tyler, I've been trying to tell you that I want to try for this and...."

"I've been ill. Give me a break," she said, and leaned forward to kiss him. Lips met chastely at first but the kiss grew in intensity. He brushed his tongue along the seam of her lips and was relieved when she opened her mouth to his, he deepened this kiss. He could feel her hand on the back of his neck slide into his hair and he realized that she probably wasn't up to what his body would be ready to do shortly. He broke the kiss and they sat together, foreheads touching, panting, as he willed his body to calm down. "So you caught that part?" he panted.

She chuckled. "Yes. Yes I did. But it doesn't mean I wouldn't like to hear it again."

He grinned. "Rose Tyler, that isn't something Time Lords really ever say. I never said I agreed with that, though. I've wanted to...I've wanted you for a very long time. Since a cellar full of Gelth in Cardiff, probably. "

"So why have you never said? You know it's reciprocated, Doctor. You must."

"I hoped. Actually, I tried not to let myself hope. I really did. Our forevers don't match up, Rose. And that breaks me."

"You still told me. I almost died, my forever was almost gone, and you still told me." She caressed his sideburns and kissed him lightly. "You weren't scared then."

"I was petrified, Rose. But not telling you....that would be worse. I don't know how long we have together, but I want to spend your forever with you, properly together, for as long as we have." Tears were glistening in her eyes again, and felt his own eyes burn. "I love you, Rose Tyler "

"I love you, Doctor," she said and kissed him again. Once more they found themselves deeply kissing, until the Doctor really realized that she needed rest and firmly broke it off. 

"I want you rested, Love," he said, and she didn't miss the endearment. She smiled her own thousand watt smile and she made his hearts stutter. "I want you, Love, so you rest first." He stood, and waggled his fingers. She could never turn down that invitation. Hand in hand they walked to first the infirmary for a quick scan (she protested, he was adamant) and then to her room. He had determined she needed no further medical monitoring, but he planned to keep close while she rested. He wasn't even going to pretend it was for medical reasons.

*******  
The Doctor spent the first part of the night with his arms wrapped firmly around Rose as she dozed off. After a bit she rolled onto her back as she slept so he sat up against the headboard and watched her, beautiful in sleep. He thought about their conversation and made a mental note to try for clearer communication- even though he still wasn't quite sure where the miscommunication happened. He thought about all the ways he could cock up this potential relationship and found himself growing rather anxious as his Time Lord brain whirred on, concocting many different scenarios in which this did not work out for the better. He was a Time Lord. A species known to excel in many different areas, but romantic relationships were not among those. Anything to do with relationships, really. It was a wonder she was still with him in any capacity. And then his brain was off to the races, seeing potential pitfalls everywhere. He was old. She wasn't. This life was dangerous. How could he put her at that kind of risk, when she could...... He found his resolve shaking a bit until Rose began to stir in her sleep. She opened her eyes and blearily looked up at him. "Need your arms, Time Lord." And he scooted down immediately, looking at her eye to eye and he was lost again in those warm brown eyes, wondering why he had been so anxious at all. "Love you," she muttered as he embraced her. One of her knees worked its way between his and they snuggled together as she dozed off again. Maybe it was that simple. Mental note number two: stop overthinking. That was easier said than done.

And then there was the matter of her faster than normal recovery. She always asked the right questions so he knew that soon, she would wonder why she recovered so quickly. He wanted her to know but really needed to test her to see how Bad Wolf had changed her physiology. His mind was spinning and he was exhausted. He willed his mind to calm down. He had a feeling that his anxiety would project to Rose and that would just worry her. He decided to put off that train of thought until tomorrow, and to just concentrate on the warmth of Rose's body curled next to his. She always grounded him when he felt like his whirling thoughts would spin him away into the vortex. He thought of how he'd like to wake Rose up in the morning, if she felt up to it. He let his mind drift with that pleasant thought for a bit. 

During the night the Doctor decided to get more comfortable so he ditched the brown pinstriped trousers and Oxford and lay spooned against Rose's back in boxer briefs and his dark blue Henley. He finally fell asleep wrapped around her, a testament to his exhaustion since they'd intervened in that civil war. It struck him that once the decision had been made to express his love how natural it was to shed those layers and relax as she slept on in his arms. He always wanted to wake up to her warm body in his arms, he decided. And they slept on.

**********

Rose woke to the most wonderful feeling of warmth and comfort several hours later. She was drawn up close to him, his knees fitting against hers, his arm across her chest. He was always slightly cooler than she so she felt comfortably cocooned instead sweltering. She sighed, and melted into him a bit more. She realized his legs and arms were bare in that moment and it did not escape her that he'd never been there in her bed with so little clothing. He'd rested with her sporadically, particularly after a trauma. The first time was when she and her blue eyed Doctor had returned from Utah and she had sat up with him all night. He had stayed with her after her ill-fated meeting with her father. After being knighted and banished from Scotland by Queen Victoria, her brown eyed Doctor had spent the night, stiffly, on his back. Looking up at the celing. He had been so uncomfortable and Rose had despaired of ever getting that ease back. He had been so flirtatious and touchy- feely at the Torchwood estate and it had confused her terribly. Then Sarah Jane and Reinette (and Mickey) had thrown a spanner into the works. Other times they had shared beds in shacks or prison cells and he always maintained a decorous distance even as they giggled and talked into the night. Now she saw that through a different lens. He had been restraining himself from his want, and now....things had definitely improved. Just the fact that he was actually under the covers, let alone the near nudity, made her giddy. She was close to giggling in relief. She felt much better and hoped that perhaps soon, they could move forward even more. 

Still feeling a bit giddy she wiggled against him a bit, experimentally, and was rewarded as he pushed his hips forward, against her. Her experimentation was rewarded. She could feel how the close contact was affecting him and was relieved to find that his assertion that humans looked Time Lord was true. They would fit together nicely, she thought with a naughty grin. 

He hummed against her neck as he began to wake up. His lips found a sweet spot just behind her ear and his hand, which had been resting against her stomach began to caress her arm lightly.

"Hello," he said in a low, sleepy voice that caused her stomach to flip pleasantly.

"Mornin'. Sleep..well?" She stuttered as his lips found her neck again and was slowly kissing their way up to her earlobe. 

"Wonderfully. And you?" She didn't answer right away as his lips and tongue had discovered her earlobe at last. "Hmmm?"

"Distractin' me, you are. Good at that, too...oh..." The hand on her arm had slipped under the sheep shirt. 

"I'm good for that," he said, and she could feel the smile against her neck. She craned her head to look at him, his beautiful smile, and she raised her head a bit to snog him completely. Their tongues met and she sucked on his lower lip a bit (something she'd fantasized about alone in this very bed) and he moaned low in his throat. The kiss built in intensity until she had to break away to breathe and she rolled onto her back so she could look at him without awkwardly twisting her neck. His had had drifted up, counting each rib until he reached the underside of her breast.

"Feeling up to some exertion this morning?" He asked. 

"Ready to exercise, Doctor." Desire was pooling low in her belly and she didn't feel any less giddy. 

"Seriously, though...if it's too much too soon, we'll take separate cold showers and try again tomorrow." The Doctor looked as though he was trying to convince himself of this. His pupils were blown wide, all dark, and his hand had begun to tremble a bit.

"I feel fine. And I want you. How do you feel about that?"

"I'm in love with her and I feel fine..." He sang quietly and she laughed. His hand slid up to cup her breast and she gasped. The Doctor leaned over and snogged her slowly, deeply and caressed her until she was breathless. She pulled on the hem of his Henley and he took the hint, briefly breaking the kiss to pull it over his head. He tossed it to the floor and returned his hands to her, tugging at her own shirt. The sheep shirt hit the floor soon after and he stared at her bare torso. "I like the sheep jimjams but this is also quite nice. I'd say I like this better."

"Too much talkin'," she gasped as he lowered his mouth to her chest and then she forgot he had been saying anything at all. 

Time passed in a haze of touches and sounds of pleasure as they divested themselves of the rest of their clothes and then both of them were bare and that was brilliant. "Need you now," she sighed and he was helpless to deny her. That time was over, and even if they only had one more day together he wouldn't let it go by without experiencing this with her. And so, they did, in gasps and sighs and moans that drove them forward as they joined, unable to look away from the other's eyes as they moved together. Until it became too intense, the pleasure so great that their eyes closed and they held more tightly to each other and moved faster until both were crying out. Until he collapsed against her and she ran her nails up and down his back softly, causing him to shudder again. He couldn't move away from her for quite a while, and she didn't want him to leave her anyway. "Oh, Rose," he sighed into the crook of her neck. 

******  
"You wore me out. You were the sick one, Rose Tyler. You're also quite a bit more active in the mornings than you let on," the Doctor snickered, grinning widely. They still lay in bed, wrapped in each other's arms, her head resting between his hearts.

"You've never woken me up properly before now," she said with a cheeky smile. "If I've been grumpy in the past, it's your fault."

"Cheeky," he said, kissing her. You must be feeling better."

"You couldn't figure that out yourself?"

"After the second round I got a clue."

"'Bout time you got one," she said, tongue in teeth smile on full display.

"My goodness, brilliant shagging brings out the smart arse in you, Rose Tyler," he said, laughing. 

She didn't think she'd ever tire of the way her name rolled off his tongue. 

"You love it!" she giggled as he rolled her over so that he was hovering over her. She ran her fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck and it sent a pleased shiver through him.

"I love it. Love it and you." He drew her into a long slow kiss and she didn't feel like being a smart arse right at that moment. When the kissed slowed to a stop she gave a a happy hum and he whispered, "I'm so glad you're well again."

"At least It brought us to this," she said quietly. 

"I've been an idiot. It should have happened long ago."

"It's happening now, my Doctor. Don't worry about that. I wouldn't trade a minute of anything we've done. No what-ifs. And no getting scared if something happens me again, because I could see you shutting me out because you think it'll keep me safe. We go, together or not at all, Doctor." The Doctor began to speak but Rose had one more thing to say. "And when I am gone..."

"Oh, Rose, not..."

"Yes, now. When I am gone I want you to keep going. Keep fighting for people who need it. "

He gave her a sad smile. "I don't know what I'll do."

"I know what I want you to do, love. I want you to live. Keep going on. "

He took a deep breath and pressed his forehead to hers. "I will do my best. That's all I can say." They kissed slowly and she thought that if he didn't give her the exact answer she wanted, she could accept this. She believed he would try.

"Where do you want to go next? We're staying in the vortex for a bit  
more but after..." Because the need to deflect was still there. He wouldn't shut her out but she knew this topic was closed. For now. 

"Well, I would like to see Mum, she started.

"She'll kill me. She'll slap me into the next regeneration," he said, suddenly aghast at the idea of Jackie knowing their relationship had progressed. 

Rose chuckled. "For one, I don't plan on announcing the shaggin' part, and for another, she thought we were shaggin' ages ago. Apparently she thinks you get all moony - eyed over me and can't keep your hands to yourself."

"Well, yeah, she's right about that. I'll probably be a little more....handsy..." She giggled at the his choice of words. Her stomach gave a loud growl just then. "Appetite's back, I see?" She'd had some tea and toast at the hospital and the TARDIS had some more waiting helpfully for her in the infirmary, but she hadn't wanted to eat much more. 

"As much as I hate to get out of bed, yeah, " she sighed.

"Breakfast in bed, then, Dame Rose? Back in mo, with breakfast for two!" He hopped out of bed enthusiastically, affording Rose a great view of his magnificent bum. She grinned wickedly and he caught her. "Looking and liking are we?" And with that he swept out of the room. 

Rose spent the next few minutes stretching out and staring at her star spangled ceiling. (Back on the Estate, she had stuck glowing stars above her bed in hopes of recreating the constellations. Instead it had turned out a bit of a mess but still pretty when the lights were out.) The TARDIS provided her with a realistic projection of the solar system that reflected the night sky in London. She loved it. It calmed her on sleepless nights. She thought back on the dramatic turn life had taken in the past 72 hours- going from a close but undefined relationship, a near death experience, then a finally intimate relationship with the doctor-it was head- spinning. She was glad for the turn in their relationship. She could have done without almost dying...and that was another thing. Twice he had mentioned having seen that poison kill a grown man. So why not her? 

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of her Doctor, bursting though the door, pushing a serving cart laden with toast, tea, beans, eggs and sausage. "How many of us were you planning to serve....and when did we get a serving cart?" Rose asked, a bit shocked.

"Well, our TARDIS was one step ahead of me on the cooking, and she apparently wants you well fed. And as for the cart, when do we ever know how things pop up? I didn't know about the bowling alley until I came upon it one day with Sarah Jane......."

They tucked into breakfast and Rose discovered that her appetite had indeed returned with a vengeance, so neither one said anything for a while. The Doctor looked up from his sausages to see Rose looking at him appraisingly. "What?" he asked, thinking perhaps there was some jam on his chin.

"I had a question."

"Well, I probably have the answer. There's not many questions I can't answer, I mean, there might be a few..."

"You're babbling," Rose interrupted before he could really get momentum going. She thought he might be afraid of the question. She was afraid of the answer. "Why did I survive that? And why do I feel normal now?  
Does it have to do with...."

"The Vortex. Bad Wolf. Is that what you were thinking?"

He had put words to her fears.

"Yeah. If it is....then what does that mean for me?"

"It had occurred to me that it could be possible for you to have retained a small vestige of the time vortex. And that could trigger, in small amounts, healing similar to my physiology."

"Not regeneration."

"No." He sighed. "I wish this meant our forevers matched. Maybe a little longer. But you've got me, Rose Tyler. For all of your forever. "

Tears stung her eyes he kissed her. When they broke apart, forehead to forehead she whispered, "I know. And I'm so glad." He smiled and wiped away the tear that spilled. 

"Now, Rose Tyler. There is plenty of time for me to check into this. We need to think about the next destination- after a short visit with your Mum, of course- "

"It'll be short. We were just back there not long ago, after Mickey..."I just want to see her again."

"Very understandable. But I do have an idea, Miss Tyler. How about a concert?"

"By concert do you mean werewolf? Or will it be a vampire this time?" The sparkle had returned to her eyes and she was giving that tongue touched smile that made him want to snog it right off. 

"Yes, you are a smart arse when you've been throughly shagged. No, I was talking about....." He raised an eyebrow for dramatic effect. "Elvis!"

"Ooh, now I'm not sure if we should see Mum first and make her jealous by telling her where we're going, or wait to see her after and tell her where we've been!" Rose rubbed her hands together excitedly.

"If we tell her before what are the odds she'll want to come along?" Rose laughed at the look of consternation on her daft alien's face.

"I'm still not confident we'll get there," Rose giggled.

"Oi! A little faith, please! I even know of the perfect outfit for you in the wardrobe room. Pink satin, full skirt...."

"What will you wear?" She asked, pulling on her dressing gown. 

"I'm already perfect," he answered, grinning from ear to ear. He took her hand and pulled her into an embrace. They kissed slowly and thoroughly and when the kiss ebbed away he told her, "When Elvis sings "Love Me Tender,' save me a dance, yeah?" Rose experienced the feeling of simultaneously having her stomach flip flop and her knees go weak. Yes, this was going to be amazing.

 

**********

Four days later.......

They burst into the TARDIS, having been nowhere near Elvis, as Rose had predicted. She couldn't have predicted the adventure they'd just experienced, however, and the Doctor couldn't take his eyes off her beautiful face. He gently caressed her cheek with shaking hands and kissed her forehead. "We're going to be okay, Doctor," she whispered.

He wanted to believe that. He really did. He kissed her lips gently then moved to the console to send them into the vortex, which was becoming more of a safe haven after these adventures. Dematerialing sequence started, he pointed his sonic at a control on the console and the sound of guitar music filled the console room.

Elvis Presley, "Love Me Tender." He held out his arms to his Rose and she gladly joined him in a slow dance. In each other's arms was the only place they wanted to be.

He wanted to relax, he really did. But the feeling was upon him-the feeling that time was making fools of them. That the bits in between, the troubles, would overtake them sooner rather than later. Rose felt him tense and caressed his face. "We're okay, Doctor. We are."

He looked into the honey brown eyes of the woman he loved. He didn't believe that they were safe- he believed in her and her hope. He pulled her more tightly to him and Elvis sang on.


End file.
